Abstract

Several inbred mouse strains were immunized with denatured DNA-methylated bovine serum albumin (MBSA) complexes. The response of SJL/J mice was stronger over a period of 53 days (including 3 injections) than that of DBA/2, AKR/Cu, C3H/HeJ, C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice.

In a kinetic study of serum antibody levels, the early (10-day) responses of SJL/J and DBA/2 mice were similar, but the strength of SJL/J sera continued to rise while that of DBA/2 animals fell. After a boost at day 21, the SJL/J mice produced much higher antibody titers than did DBA/2 animals. In parallel assays for direct plaque-forming cells, DBA/2 animals yielded higher number of plaques at day 10, but similar values for both strains were derived at later times, including after the booster injection. Analysis by Sephadex G-200 gel filtration showed that the lower-responding DBA/2 animals produced only 19S antibody, while SJL/J mice produced both 19S and large amounts of 7S antibody.

A reversed pattern was observed after immunization with poly(A)·poly(U) or poly(I)·poly(C). In this case, DBA/2 mice responded more strongly than did SJL/J mice in production of antibodies to the double-helical polyribonucleotides.

Footnotes

↵1 On leave from Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02111, U.S.A. Recipient of senior fellowship from Weizmann Institute of Science.